Common Reaction
by enchantedscatterbrained
Summary: Set before Hairography.It starts with Quinn telling Kurt the truth about the baby. And it ends now.
1. Hey love, your face is full of lies

DISCLAIMER: Glee? Not mine. If it were mine gleeks wouldn't have to wait so much to finish watching a season. Also, the name of the fic, along with the names of the chapter are from _Common Reaction_ by _Uh Huh Her_

A/N:** Important** . This fic is set after Ballad and _before_ Hairography.

And very, very , important, thanks to Emily -my beta- . Love, you rock

Prologue_ :Hey, love. Your face is full of lies._

She is beautiful.

It freezes him still. The thought, the truth, it sinks deep in him.

It's his fault, Kurt reproaches himself, for having a heart like this. So open, so empty, that people and emotions can and do enter as they please.

He should go. He should go now. She hasn't noticed him, yet, and the door remains open.

He doesn't move, though. He shudders a bit, yes, and he looks down at the floor, but he doesn't take a single step away from Quinn Fabray.

He tries to tell himself that he is safe now, from her, from her image. But the old wooden floor changes nothing.

He can see her, in his mind, sat alone on an old bench, absent minded and surrounded by boxes and spider webs.

He despises the image. She doesn't belong there.

And she is not supposed to look like that, either. From the way her hair is and the look in her eyes, _everything _is wrong and fucked up.

She's meant to be a cheerio. To have her hair strictly tied up, wear the white and red uniform and look at the world with a superior gaze.

She needs to leave the utility room, out to the hall, to be stared at in amazement, feared and envied.

She needs to be a cheerio again. He_ needs_ her to be a cheerio again.

He needs to see her in the uniform, to see her look just like another bunch of girls. So identical in their words and movement, so locked, so lost, in a high school label that he cannot think about her as a human being.

Not that he ever thought of her like a simple person.

The first time he met her, she looked like a goodness, a Greek one. Beautiful, untouchable, powerful and unfair.

But in some point, everything had gone horribly wrong. It seemed just like, _it tasted just like _yesterday_,_ that he wished he was like her, that he _was_her.

And now he looks at her, out of her uniform, wearing her own clothes, letting her hair down. He sees her breathe and hurt. He sees her being fully her, fully human, moving as if dragged by her own choices and mistakes.

And he can't help but wonder when the world become like this.

He should go now. Leave her alone, save her the embarrassment of being found out by someone like him.

He should go and it doesn't matter how many times he repeats it, he still doesn't move.

And when, after several seconds of staring at the floor, he looks up and her eyes meet his, he knows he could never run away from that unprotected and scared child.

What he does not know, yet still _somehow _does, is how much this will take out off him.

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A/N: Thoughts? Comments are love. Show me some love ;)

Also, this is the prologue, there are other three chapters left. Much love,


	2. Chapter 1: you're covered in dust

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

A/N: Thanks a lot for your lovely comment. And thanks to Emily, my wonderful, beautiful, beta reader!

01 _You are covered in dust_

He sits besides her, shy and gently as if some sudden move of his could hurt her. He's still not sure why she gestured at him to sit down, and not quite sure if the gesture really meant that.

He turns to look at her for a second, trying to find some kind of relief in the fact that there are no traces of tears in her eyes. He doesn't feel better, though, as he stares the floor again.

"You… you love _him_, right?" She says finally, her voice choked by swallowed tears.

"W-who?" He stutters quickly, trying to sound confused.

She doesn't answer, just stares at him. And he looks back at her, knowing how much it hurts when you want people to look at you in the eye and they just avoid you.

"You really love him," She says, no question in her tone, as she sighs loudly.

Kurt can't fake it anymore. He wasn't doing a great job to begin with and he knows it's useless now.

"Sorry," He mutters and then she laughs and smiles at him but there is nothing happy in the ways she curves her lips.

"You shouldn't be sorry. We don't choose emotions," She explains defensively. "And we can't always control actions," She adds in a much lower tone, as if confessing something.

Kurt nods and then there is silence.

"So, you're not mad?" He asks finally, still afraid of the "you're a disgusting_ fag"_ he had always expected from the catholic girl.

"No, I'm not mad at you," She says and he's surprised by the way she says it, clear and sincere as if she knew how much it means to him. Maybe she does, but it's still even more shocking because it means she actually _cares._

There are no words he can say. So he sits in silence, trying to process what's happening, knowing that he can't leave yet.

"I.. I love him. I love Finn. And you have to understand that, you really have to understand, that."

Kurt breathes irregularly before the words, forgetting suddenly how to do it, how to breathe, as the blonde girls looks at him with a pleading expression.

"Please, understand it," Quinn adds and Kurt can't understand why _she_ is the one saying all these things.

"I've loved him from the first time I met him. Even if I didn't want to love him. It was supposed to be just a high school boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, but it's more than that. Actually it's_ less_ than that."

Kurt stares at her, blackly. Quinn takes a deep breath and speaks again.

"I love him, I really do, as a person, as a friend. And sometimes I hate him for that, because instead of losing just a high school boyfriend, I can lose _him _and I don't want to lose Finn."

"Why… why would you…?" Kurt starts, curious and mortified. "Why would you lose him?"

Quinn doesn't look away, as she had expected herself to do it" which, yes, sounded strange as hell, for "Quinn doesn't look away before the words. It surprises her, a lot. Because she knows she is too coward to face a question like that. But Kurt's eyes are too soft and gentle to look away.

"You have to understand it, Kurt. I love Finn," She tells him, because it's important to let him know that, she can't say the rest if he doesn't get it.

"I understand," And he takes her hand when she says it, so she can know he means it.

"The baby, my baby is Puck's."

Kurt doesn't let remove his hand but the pressure loosens noticeable.

He swallows the air and is left without words. It's okay because soon enough the air is filled by Quinn's tears and words.

Kurt listens to it, all of it, and feels as if he were listening about the murder of a fictional character he has never read, watch nor loved.

Quinn's voice invades his mind, talking about how the only man she ever slept with was Noah. And just once. How she made Finn believe he was the father and how much she needs to treat him badly. He sits still as she confesses him how much Finn hurts her with his ignorance and kindness, with his silly baby names and hopes.

"I wish he would find out, realize or just get too fed up with me. But he got a job and lets me stays at his house. He does all these wonderful things which I don't deserve at all. So I push him, I tell him to go away, but he keeps on coming back, without a clue, Kurt. Without a fucking clue about how much he is letting me hurt him."

"And I can't stop, I can't stop hurting him. I can't hide from him. He's with me all the time, at school, at glee club. And now I am in his house. Staying in his room, taking so many things out of him."

Everything is out now. Everything is out there, in the utility room, where old costumes and props are carelessly put together.

But then again, that's what the room seems to be made for. That's what Quinn and many others have used it for. And Kurt Hummel knows very well about the sorrows and secrets those four walls hide and protect. Because, then again that's why he had entered the room in the first place.

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As always, comments are love


	3. 2: And you tell me everything is alright

DISCLAIMER:You think _this _is hard. Try waiting until the next Glee episode on _April! THAT_'S HARD!

Also, Glee belongs to Fox.

Thanks for your wonderful comments thanks to Emily, again :) , for being my beta.

Chapter Two

_And you tell me everything is alright._

They have to go. They have to stand up, move and walk.

It seems impossible for both of them.

They are tired and scared. It's like, it _feels_ as if the entire world has changed for them, just for them. As if it has ended and started again, with no one but them acknowledging it.

Quinn is the first one to stand up. She's used now to having to move on even when you don't want to.

Kurt stands up almost immediately after.

The girl lowers her head a bit and walks towards the door without looking at him.

But before she reaches it, before she steps out of the room, Kurt grabs her by the hand.

It takes both of them by a surprise, when he pulls her into a hug and she holds to him tight.

….

Mr. Shuester seems as happy as ever. He doesn't seem that happy when Rachel starts asking him questions, though.

Kurt knows that it's important, whether the both of them are talking is important. But right now, he can't concentrate on what they are saying. He trusts Rachel, though, to approach them all later with a "you heard what Mr. Shuester said…" speech.

He's sitting between Tina and Quinn. He gazes at Finn every now and then, just to turn his head towards where Quinn is.

The girl doesn't look at Kurt, though. She stares at Mr. Shuester, without paying him any attention. And Kurt can't help but notice Finn's arm around her neck and Puck's displeased look at the scene.

When the meeting is over, everyone but Quinn and Finn part different ways. Not even Mercedes and Kurt walk together. Not consciously, at least. For, to strangers eyes, they could seem to be walking side by side a grey path of silence.

…

Kurt's brain is used to comebacks. Sometimes his mouth stays shut, though, as a self-preservation measure.

But reactions are usually buried inside his mind, left behind like dangerous bombs. Because they have the _action _word in it, and they imply, they _require and demand, _physical measures. And he is too civilized, _too cowardly_ for that.

Yet, the following day, after a sleepless night, and wasted hours of school, Kurt finds himself reacting.

It happens after Football practice. Finn leaves early, since he has to take Quinn to the doctor, and after showers, Puck and Kurt are left alone.

The bully seems grumpier than usually as he ties his sneakers. But Kurt doesn't give a damn about the other boy's mood.

He walks towards him, ready to let go so many words but he doesn't speak. Instead he punches Puck in the face. Hard.

Kurt's fist hurts. And he shudders as he watches Puck stand up. He shudders as the boy walks towards him with a killing look.

"The _fuck_ is wrong with you, Hummel? Do you miss the dumpster or what?" Puck is rubbing his face as he speaks and Kurt thinks he should feel ashamed and not pleased by this.

Kurt's body shudders even more. And he knows it's not because of fear.

"The fuck is wrong with _me_, Puckerman?" He says, loud and angry. "What the fuck is wrong _with you?_"

"What's this? A sudden revenge for bullying you?" Puck asks, shaking his head. "Not like you can_ actually _hit."

"Well, sorry. Not everybody is as _skilled_ as you in hurting people."

"Look. I never punched you or pushed you too hard, Hummel, so don't…"

"This isn't about me," Kurt cuts him off. It's a lie, of course. "This is about Finn."

"Quinn told me." He adds, refusing to stop staring at Puck's reaction.

And Kurt realizes just how close Puck's height it is to his. He is not that much taller, or that much older.

Puck then sits down in the wet floor, practically letting himself fall.

"How could you…" Kurt starts and he doesn't even try to stop the tears from coming. "You are… he thinks of you as his _best friend_."

"And you actually fought him, once. After all you did to him, you fought him and told him that _he_ didn't deserve Quinn as his girlfriend."

"I know. Okay?"

"No. It is not _okay_, Puck. It can not be _okay_, when you go and get your _best friend's _girlfriend pregnant. And it is certainly not_ okay_ when someone like _Finn_ is betrayed by those he loves the most."

Kurt voice's echoes through the room, like thousands of ghosts screaming in whispers.

He turns to leave, he's heading to the door, ready to leave that room, when Puck speaks.

"Are you going to tell him?" Kurt turns his head, angrily.

"God. Is that all you care about?" Puck lowers his head and stays quiet.

"No, I am not going to tell him. That's between Quinn, him and you."

_I am not part of this, _he reminds himself as he walks away.

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Thoughts? Comments are looove . Also, next chapter is the _final _*insert dramatic music*


	4. 3Don't mind It's just a common reaction

**DISCLAIMER**: Glee is not mine. Wow, my disclaimers are so original!

A/N: Emily, my beta, my valentine .

*Drums* Final chapter!

Chapter Three.

_How can you feel when you're wounded like that, dear?_

_ Don't mind. It's a common reaction_.

Quinn knows there is something horribly wrong the second she steps into school.

It takes some minutes for Finn to get it as well.

Everybody is looking at them. Some boys laugh and whispers. Some girls glare at Quinn in disapproval and some stare at Finn in sympathy.

Every eye is set on them as they walk the school's hall.

Quinn fears the worst but tries to stay calm.

Until one boy, one who is, _barely_, suppressing a laugh, pats Finn on the shoulder and opens a laptop before him.

…

It takes practically the entire Football's team to separate Finn from Puck.

The punch given by Kurt the day before, loses itself beneath a sea of wounds on Puck's face.

"I'm sorry, man," Puck mutters, looking the taller boy in the eye. He needs to let him show, to let Finn know that he _is _truly sorry for this.

"All this time…" Finn starts but he doesn't have the strength to go on. "You two…" He says, looking at Quinn, as his team mates release him. "You two…" he repeats, but there is nothing left to say.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Quinn cries, slowly walking towards him. "I am so sorry."

"Save it," Finn answers. He's hurt and can't hide it. "We're not going to tell my mother about it." He states suddenly. "We're going to…" But he has no idea, he's lost and hurt and can't believe they actually did this to him. "We are not going to tell my mom." Quinn nods.

"I can stay at Brittany's, tonight. You can tell your mom that I had to help Brittany with something," She offers quietly but Finn shakes his head.

"Mom made you your favorite meal for dinner." There's silence, then. Puck wants to say something, anything, but he's never been good with words.

"You'll have to come _home_ later that usual, though. I need some time alone." Finn leaves then before Quinn and Puck can say anything.

…

Kurt it is not surprised when Finn calls him. He is surprised though for what happens next.

"You knew about it," Finn accuses, letting his anger travel from mobile to mobile. "You knew about it and didn't tell me." Kurt doesn't answer. "And don't lie to me," Finn adds. "I am sick of people lying to me".

"Finn, I…"

"Don't tell me how _sorry _you are. Don't give me some elaborate excuse of why, when _you were suppose to be my friend_, you hid something _this big_ from me. Just, just don't talk ever to me ever again." The phone goes dead then and Kurt just puts it in his bag.

"It was him, _right?_" Quinn asks as Puck tries not to look interested.

The future parents remain separate from each other. Kurt knows, sees and feels just how they want and need to hold each other close. They don't do it, they won't do it. Not because of what people would say but as a punishment for their actions. They don't think they deserve to be hugged and as much as Kurt sympathies with the two of them a part of him can't help but agree.

…

Quinn has the pregnancy to blame. Finn has school, Glee, football and his job. But Mrs. Hudson knows there is something more powerful than any of those, as he lifts the untouched food from the table.

…

Parents see everything. And Mr. Hummel knows there is a reason to leave the three boys and the pregnant girl alone.

"Goodbye, Mr. Hummel," The teens say as he leaves for work, _o__n his off day._

"So, what do you want?" Finn asks, once the adult is out of sight.

He has soften a bit, at least with Kurt, after the boy pointed out that Quinn and Puck needed to give him an explanation.

"I'll prepare some tea." Kurt says, and they all know he'll be absent for more time that it takes tea to be done.

He walks to the kitchen quickly. Trying to make his selfish thoughts go away. It's about them, the three of them, Puck, Quinn and Finn. The subject, the discussion has nothing to do with him, so he has no right to be angry and sad for feeling out of place in his _own _house.

Some words reach him. Some words let themselves be captured by his ears.

"Of course it hurt us, Finn." Quinn is crying. "We care about you."

"_Funny_ way of showing it."

"We wanted to tell you, there were so many times Finn when I was about to tell you, but I didn't want to hurt you."

"You _slept _with my best friend, Quinn. You were hurting me since the moment you did it. The only difference is that I now know about the knife you stuck in my back."

"Finn, please…"

"And do you know how it feels? Not only the betrayal, but…"

Kurt can't hear well and is tempted to leave the kitchen but stays in.

"_I lost a family_. Yes, I knew, we were supposed to give her away, but still, I had this dream, this fantasy of holding her, watching her perform in school. I don't know what a father is, I never met mine but I wanted to be one."

Quinn's voice is too soft and it gets weak through the walls but Kurt knows what she is saying. She is asking Finn, even if it is selfish, to walk in their shoes. To try to understand how much this was haunting and hurting them.

"That would never happen to me. I would never do that."

"Yes, well, Finn, how can you know?" Quinn shouts. "I thought you and me were going to wait until marriage and then start a family. I thought I could never love someone except you."

"So you love him. More than me?"

"It's different."

"Different how?".

"The way I love you, the way I care about you. _I want you in my life_, boyfriend or not."

Then there is silence again. Kurt lets some minutes pass but when he can't hear anything, not even whispers from the living room, he has to leave the kitchen.

He finds Finn letting Quinn hug him and Puck awkwardly sitting on a sofa. They're better, not great, not excellent, not even good, but a bit better. The three of them interact without even noticing him. He watches Quinn clean her eyes as Puck gives apologies to Finn. Everything they can say to each other, at least for today, is said and that's when Finn notices Kurt watching them.

"I forgot the tea cups." Kurt realizes but it's okay. None of them feel like drinking or eating, anyway.

The leave, a bit after. Quinn and Puck first. Puck telling Kurt that he's a decent boy, after all and that he can actually hit, and Quinn hugs Kurt tightly. Once the couple leaves, Finn looks at Kurt and they both let out an _I'm sorry _at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Finn says "You were right for not telling me. I just felt so betrayed, by _everyone_ and …"

"It's okay. I should have forced Puck to tell you. I can hit quite good."

"So I've heard."

It gets awkward after a bit. Kurt tries to steady his heart and tells it that _no,_ Finn won't suddenly confess his undying love for him. Still, when the taller boy opens his mouth he can't help but dream.

"Thank you, for everything. _Really,_ thank you," Finn says and smiles, truly smiles for the first time in the past days.

"Anytime you want. I'm always here for you," Kurt replies instantly and hates himself for it.

"I should probably go," Finn says and Kurt nods. And he goes, just like that.

Kurt watches him leave, imagining how hard it must be. Trying to think about all the things the poor boy has to go through, instead of thinking about how sad and alone he left Kurt. It's okay. He tells himself. He is going to be there, for Finn. Even if it means to go through to many other storms like the one they _survived_ today.

Even if it means waiting forever.

The End.

* * *

Well, not exactly cute and romantic for a . But I wrote this some time ago. The idea came to me the very day in which Hairography would be aired and I had to write the whole fic before the story could go AU like whoa inside my mind.

And I want to say I love Glee, it has made me write fics again and April seems so far, faaaar away.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who read this little story I wanted to tell :)

Kisses And Happy Chinese year!


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